The present disclosed subject matter relates generally to skinning machines, and in particular, a poultry skinner with a pressure roller and a skin removal device.
Skinner machinery, that automates the removal of skin from poultry parts, decreases the cost of food processing by minimizing the manual labor required to process the parts. Skinners advance poultry parts to be skinned toward skin removal devices. Skin removal devices separate the poultry skin from the underlying tissue thereby leaving the poultry part ready for further processing or packaging. A pressure roller is used to aid in the removal of skin from the poultry party by holding the part against the skin removal device. Skin removed from the poultry part is typically separated from the skin removal device by water.
Poultry parts processed by skinners come in varying sizes and shapes. It is desirable to process parts having varying sizes and shapes with minimal damage to the underlying tissue. A problem with currently available pressure rollers is their inability to handle poultry parts of varying sizes and shapes without causing damage to the underlying tissue.
The rapid processing of poultry products by skinner machines requires the skin to be quickly and completely removed from the skin removal device to prevent the buildup of skin debris such as skin and fat that can clog the skin removal device and decrease the efficiency of operation. Many skinners use large volumes of water to clean the skin removal device thereby increasing the cost of operation.